The Saints Are Coming
by after.a.hard.day
Summary: They'd been called Saints, they'd been called Sinners, truthfully they just got rid of people who hurt others. Bounty Hunters or maybe just vigilantes, all they knew was... something had seriously gone wrong on that last mission. Team 7, NaruSakuSasu.
1. Beginnings

**Title:** The Saints Are Coming.  
**Characters/Pairings: **Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura. NaruSasuSaku  
**Summary:** They'd been called Saints, they'd been called Sinners, truthfully they just got rid of people who hurt others. Bounty Hunters or maybe just vigilantes, all they knew was... something had seriously gone wrong on that last mission.  
**Rating:** M  
**Note: **I've had this fic for awhile, since... Dec 2008? I couldn't get it to the point where I liked the chapter finished (damn this things was supposed to be a _oneshot _DX). But finally -sigh- here you go. I don't know if it'll ever end, there's a lot too this type of fic. The NaruSasuSaku won't be for awhile, a lot has to develop before that, cause they don't have the bonds that normal _Naruto _has, so it won't be ZOMGANDTHEYHASSEX straight away, things have gotta be earned first. Its a side thing anyway, was written as Gen to begin with anyway. This fic is designed to be fun, so enjoy. **EDIT:** I am fixing up some weird tensing and other fiddly bits, as well as adding somethings (like line breaks! omg no wonder you were all so confused! Fanfic deleted all my line breaks! Arrrgh! I also labelled where scenes are to clear that up as well.)  
**standard disclaimer applies.**

* * *

_Sakura's apartment._

"You fucking tool." Sasuke glared at Naruto and spat out the words. Sakura hit the arrogant bastard over the head.

"It wasn't his fucking fault." She snapped, not looking at him, instead focused on the wound on his shoulder. Punctuating her words by pulling out a piece of glass, causing Sasuke to hiss. She smirked at him, holding the glass in front of his face with tweezers.

"Oh, he so didn't shove me out of the way _into a window_ though." Sasuke muttered.

"If _you _hadn't gotten caught up in killing the bastard, you would have seen the _fucking_ bullet! So _yes,_ it _is_ your fault, you _prick,_ so _next time_ pay attention. That way, maybe, just maybe, you won't end up _dead_ next time, _alright_?" She pulled another piece of glass out, less gently than she should of, watching him groan in pain.

Kakashi and Naruto were looking the other way as she said this, careful of her rage. It was past experience that she was sadistic when she had been worried, viable to take it out on anyone. That and, respectively, they had been in Sasuke's position before and knew that none of them would ever listen to her. Hell, she didn't even listen to herself - but it showed how she cared, so they withstood, cause sometimes it was kind of hard to tell with her...

"And you_ knew_ that it was circumstance that you couldn't be un-watchful on this mission," She tapped the last piece of glass into the container, applied antiseptic and began wrapping his shoulder and armin a bandage that she had pulled from her side tray. "There, you are done."

She stood up, brushing her bloody fingers onto the front of her apron, then reached for a washcloth to remove the dried stains. Sakura frowned at him. "Don't do anything strenuous with that arm for a couple of days at least, or maybe twenty four hours? Or am I hoping for too much?" She didn't really want an answer, she was in rant mode. Sakura turned away from him, picking up the tray of her tools, muttering to herself. "I'll have white hair by the time I am done, fucking swear it… someone get me a Scotch…" Carefully tools were put back into order in her apartment - which served as their emergency ward. They watched her tottering around, evidently exhausted.

A draw slammed shut and she emerged out of her bedroom, leaning on the door frame, arms crossed. "Well."

"Yeah," Naruto replied from where he was on her windowsill. "That didn't go quite…"

"As planned?" Kakashi finished.

"Yeah… that." Naruto murmured lamely.

It was a rough sort of assignment, they all were - but these ones, this particular group of back street enemies, they'd been smarter, almost waiting for them.

"Do you think we were sold out?"

"Not a chance." Sasuke replied. "I got the info from Dad's left over files, no middle man-bullshit, no-half assed-could-of-been-seen-spy crap either. I didn't talk to anyone to find the goods on this."

Naruto frowned. "Then how did he- ?"

"I don't know" Sasuke snarled back.

"I _wasn't_ expecting you to, I was just asking _how_. In fact I didn't say anything, you didn't even let me get the fucking sentence _out_."

"_Maybe_ because you normally are so full of shit, there's _no point_."

"Wanna say that-"

"The pair of you _shut the hell up_!" Sakura snarled. They stopped, turned back to her, and sank back down, turning their eyes away from each other. "Look", she continued, "We all got scared tonight alright? But can we please, _please _calm down and do this logically? If you two need to go and chill first, get a drink. However you think it is best, because if your male posturing gets any worse, everyone's going to think your gay for each other-"

They screwed their faces up in disgust.

" -- but get whatever the hell it is _out of your system_ then come back and do this rationally. We all stared death a few times tonight in the face. More than a few, and that's not normal for us, so just _stop_. We'll get nowhere by snapping at each other. Now, who wants a drink?"

They looked at each other awkwardly. The all had different ways of dealing with these situations, Sakura's was getting angry at their stupidity (and making _insane _suggestions)... Well maybe that wasn't so different in retrospect.

When they blinked at her confused, she sighed and went to her kitchen again, appearing with a bottle of Whiskey.

"Glasses?" Kakashi said hopefully. She unscrewed the lid and flicked it at his head, then proceeded to take three large gulps, wincing when the after burn hit. Kakashi shrugged, finding no fault with it, and took the bottle from her, and took a gulp. And another. And another.

A few minutes later he pulled it away and have one of his one eye smiles that was slightly more glazed and lazy then usual.

Naruto took the bottle away. "Oi, oi, oi, Kakashi, there's only half of the bottle left!"

Kakashi nodded, leaning back against the wall again. Naruto took a swig and then Sasuke. The bottle returned to Sakura, who screwed the cap (having found retrieved from the floor) back on, muttering about 'perverts who drank all her alcohol'.

"This is ridiculous. So what do we know? Think of anything, anything at all."

"I told my boss I would need a day off work…" Naruto piped up.

"Huh? Anyone else." Sasuke looked at him sidelong.

Naruto shook his head. "I made a joke about having a big party, but that was it really."

Sasuke groaned, leaning forward on the chair he was in. "This isn't going to be easy, is it."

Kakashi frowned. "The only person…"

They perked up and looked at him.

"I mentioned to my flat mate, that I would be out late -- but that's Genma."

"Could he have told someone?"

"Possibly. He gets drunk frequently. But no details, he thought I was going out to get laid."

They nodded. "So it literally, could have been anyone." Sakura mumbled. "We aren't going to get any further than this are we?"

"No." Sasuke muttered.

"Maybe we should stay here for tonight? Just in case they attack us or something, better to be all together." Naruto suggested, casting glances awkwardly. Sakura didn't like tangling her real life and her… other activities.

Sakura nodded, Sasuke and Kakashi offered no objection so she set off to find some sheets.

Naruto rubbed his eyes and let his head fall back against the glass with a _thunk_.

_What a fucking night._

* * *

Two Years Ago.

_--destroy all that which is evil, so that is which is good may flourish--_

"Punk! Are you trying to jack my car?!"

"…No, I was just looking. Nice interior and uh,"

The stony silence made Naruto grin wider. He raised a hand to put it behind his head, making the peace sign with the other hand. "Oi, oi, oi, I wasn't going to keep it! Just take for a… fun run! Yeah that's it"

More angry silence. The angry boss and his gang of cronies encroached. Naruto sighed.

"I wasn't going- look you caught me and-"

"Shut up." The boss-man snarled. Naruto winced.

"Alright, if you insist." Naruto pulled his arm back from behind him, now holding a MAC-10. He fired a shot at the ground, near their feet. "Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me -" He turned tail and bolted -- to crash into a trash can and fall flat on his face, the gun sliding out of his hand.

"Oww."

The men started laughing. "All right punk, you've had your fun, now for some serious payback."

Naruto rubbed his head and he stood back up. "Could you guys be anymore generic? And- oh _shit!_" He turned around. The boss-man who stood closest grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed him face first into the alley wall. "Owwwww…"

There was raucous laughter and calls, begging for more. He felt the boss getting ready to take another hit and Naruto began counting backwards from ten, and making a will because Kiba totally wanted his radio --

"One against five, that's pretty unfair odds."

Naruto unstuck his face from the wall to look at who had spoken. The figure was silhouetted against the streetlights -- but was that his _hair _sticking up behind him? Well whatever, he was holding Naruto's gun and a wooden pole. _Bastards got _my _gun!_

The boss-man slammed his face against the wall again and Naruto slumped to the ground.

"Look kid, whatever your business is, it's not here alright?"

The figure chuckled. "The kid said he was sorry, leave him alone."

"Listen pu -- "

"Do you call everyone that gets in your way that, or are you really just that dumb?"

The boss-man snarled, forgetting all about Naruto on the ground and charged at the shadowed assailant -- however he didn't get very far, Naruto dragged himself to his knees and then feet, ran forward and -- _bam_ -- drove his elbow into the back of the boss's neck, sending him down to the ground. Naruto scrambled over and off him, going to the figure. It irked him that he _still _couldn't see his face.

"Look _thanks,_" Naruto called over his shoulder as he turned, now facing off at the remaining four men. "But I don't need your help." He glared, at... whoever it was.

The man snorted and Naruto caught a glimpse of a fine aristocratic face and a smirk as he flicked his head to glance. "Fine, you take care of _all _of them."

"I will" Naruto pulled his attention back to the boss -- who was being helped up by his mates -- and his gang. "Alright boys! Lets do this proper! My name is Naruto Uzumaki and you are going to get it!" The shadow figure threw the pole at him, which Naruto caught like they had been doing this for years. He swung it up like he was matter up. He smiled, all teeth and took at aim at the closest face. There was a crack, a shout of pain and a blood splatter on the wall. Naruto's grin hadn't dropped off his face.

A few minutes later, there were some not-dead but _very _unconscious men in the alleyway. The man who had helped him was leaning against the wall, waiting for him.

"You're still here?" Naruto jibbed.

"You were light on them…" he motioned to bodies, completely ignoring what Naruto asked.

Naruto shrugged. "I _did_ try to take his car, if only for a little while." He grinned. "I still didn't want to _keep _it... though I'm kinda tempted to now." He looped his fingers behind his head.

"You did a dumb thing…" The man murmured.

Naruto squinted at him. "Eh?"

"You told them your name, idiot."

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes."

Naruto grunted. "What do you want me to do, _kill_ them?"

"That _would_ be the wise thing." the man muttered.

Naruto gaped. "I'm not gunna! The cops can charge me if they want, but I'll say its self-defense, they did attack me when I had tried to run away _and _apologized. Hey what's your name anyway? And why the hell did you have a _wooden pole_ with you? Who carries around that kind of shit?"

"Idiot, you are leaving yourself open... and its Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha." He frowned. "And I do."

"U-Uchiha…? Oh shit! You're a cop!" Naruto began backing up, hands raised to bar him off.

Sasuke stepped away from the wall into decent light and Naruto saw him roll his eyes. "No I am not a cop, though I do…" He stopped, stared at Naruto and then jerked his head over his shoulder to where the men were "They'd be praying on girls around here. That's why I think you should kill them." Sasuke took a look around the empty streets, as if to check no one was looking, and gave Naruto back his gun.

"Wait, what?"

"I said, I think we should kill them."

"What?! Your family is supposed to be the paragon of law and order and shit! I see your brother's face everywhere! He is the poster boy for the police dep! Do you realize what you are saying?"

"It doesn't matter what my family is," He turned away, his face hiding behind his hair. "…Least of all who my _brother_ is…" Naruto could hear a no-go-zone when it smacked him in the face and did a dance. "What matters is your going to help me get rid of these guys. If not kill them, turn them in." Sasuke crossed his arms.

"…I can't kill someone in cold blood, so lets turn them in." Naruto muttered.

After they had dropped the men in and told their story- omitting the details of Naruto trying to steal the car - they walked back out, Sasuke with his hands in his pockets, Naruto with his hands behind his head again.

"Do you think some people should die for what they have done?"

Naruto blinked and looked sidelong at Sasuke. "Eh?"

"What those men did, they weren't as bad as some, but do you think bad people should die?"

Naruto shrugged, "…I mean, I'm an orphan, my dad died defending someone, dunno the details, but, I dunno, maybe they should. It kinda sucks, that all those bad people destroy all the chances for the good people. Like this one guy I saw, he completely stole this other guys job because he bribed the boss of the company." He frowned. "Now that I think about it, yeah, I would, I would stop bad people. You mean people like those guys right? But you know, worse, not just petty bribery, but like big stuff- rapists and murders and drug dealers and shit, right?"

Sasuke nodded, stopped and stood in front of Naruto. "Would you help me do it?"

"You seriously _want_ to?" Naruto stared at him, in wonder, mostly and a little bit in fear.

"Yes, I seriously 'want to'. Don't you ever get sick of it? Watching innocent people get hurt or killed? And then, then you see the person that did it, that everyone _knows _did it, get off scott _free_? Drug lords that are selling all sorts of that kinda shit to _children_? Rapists that are allowed to walk away? Doesn't it piss you off?"

* * *

Naruto rubbed his face. If he had ever felt fate have a strong grip on him, it was in that moment. He could put it all to that second, when he replied that yes, it did piss him off. That yes, he couldn't actually bear to think about the people that got away with it. He put his current predicament on that single moment of time and space and fate and opportunity. All to that moment when he had said 'yes'. In retrospect, he knew he had been far too casual about it, accepting without what truly knowing what he doing.

Sasuke knew. Sasuke probably always knew, and maybe Naruto should have been angry for not explaining it properly to him, not warning him enough. But it was after their first big hit -- two mobsters, just soldiers by any means, but smart -- and Naruto had _nearly died_ that it became very _very _clear what he was truly doing. It was about the same time Sasuke put it to him that they needed more help. Two wasn't enough. That was how they found (unexpectedly) Kakashi.

Naruto and Sasuke had patched each other up after another hit and another man tied up to the front of a police station with the necessary incriminating evidence taped to said man. It was near Christmas and things were a little chillier than normal. The cold shifting through their bones now that they had worn off the adrenaline, they hit the bars. Naruto could remember the place was less than good; it was just slightly better than a rat hole but not by much. At least the glasses were clean, thank god for small mercies. Naruto had picked a booth at the back from which the rest of the bar could be seen but close to the emergency exit.

They were on their third drink when they'd spotted the classic trouble scene, Naruto mused. Pretty Girl sitting there with A Friend, spied upon by the rest of the Male Inhabitants, which was probably what she wanted.

Friend goes to bathroom, Pretty Girl smiles a winning smile to The Man she had been looking at all night, but Creepy Lecher thinks it aimed at him and he sidles on over. Pretty Girl is flat out obvious she isn't interested, but he still put his arm around her. She shrugs him off but it didn't do anything, he just put his arm around her again. By this point her back ramrod straight, fingers tight around the neck of her beer bottle.

Naruto nudged Sasuke and jerked his head in the direction of the girl. Sasuke nodded and got ready, this was the kind of thing they were out to stop after all.

Pretty Girl gave a screech; Creepy Lecher had just openly molested her breast. Sasuke and Naruto shot up, Naruto more than ready to punch the bastards face in.

But they were too late - well at least in 'punching face' sense.

And that was the first time they saw Kakashi, he moved forward faster than they could really detect. He grabbed Creepy Lecher's offending arm and twisted it behind his back. The man struggled free but only because Kakashi had let him.

"Tha' lady 'nd I were just having a friendly chat-"

"No, she obviously didn't want you to touch her." Kakashi replied smoothly and if Kakashi could ever be classed into a single word, it'd be that, 'smooth'... and lazy. At least Naruto thought so.

"Alright, I get it" the man replied sullenly.

"No, you think you do, which isn't the same as _actually _getting it, so lets say this nice and clear. She _really_ doesn't like you." Kakashi might of been commenting on the weather.

The drunken man snarled and lunged. But Kakashi ducked and rolled the man off his back, then grabbed him by the back of the head, grip firm in his hand and smashed his head against the bar: one - two - three times and the man collapsed.

Kakashi smiled and turned to the girl who was staring at him with so much adoration, Naruto guessed that he was _definitely_ getting laid tonight.

Naruto and Sasuke were stunned and after that they had watched him leave with the adoring girl and her friend- who was wrapped around another man in a bandana and a took pick in his mouth. After they had left, Naruto and Sasuke asked the bartender finding out his name- Kakashi Hatake.

The next night they had returned to stalk him -- and stalk him they did, all the way back to his apartment. Where he stopped and turned around outside his front door and ask them exactly what they wanted and what they were up to. Naruto and Sasuke hung back on the edges of the light, not wanting to be seen completely, in case they were sold out.

Naruto cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well you see, we kinda need you help."

Kakashi crossed his arms and leant back on his front door. "With what, exactly?"

Sasuke took a step forward. "We…" he glanced at Naruto "Catch people."

"Ah, what kind of people?" Kakashi raised the visible eyebrow.

"Bad people." Naruto was sure there was a better way of saying it, but that was just it.

"You two wouldn't happen to be the ones that have underground whispering with worry do you?"

Naruto grinned, just a wee bit proud. "Depends. Are you going to help us?"

Kakashi gave them both look and Naruto felt just a tiny little bit intimidated- he'd seen first hand how fast this man worked. "If I was a moral man, I'd knock you both out and drag _you _to the police station." Kakashi mused out loud. "But if I was _truly _moral man, I'd help you."

"And are you a moral man?" Sasuke said sharply, Naruto knew the edge in his voice; they didn't have time for this.

"No, but I am a man that can see things need changing - which is what you two are doing."

"So you'll help us?" Sasuke asked. This was definite now.

"Yes. If only because that was the most pitiful attempt of stealth I have ever seen in all my years of service."

* * *

Kakashi had the subtlety that Sasuke and Naruto didn't, he was also better at lying in tight situations, the skill seemed to be perfected through practise it seemed.

It was through him that they had met Sakura four months later. Naruto had been checked into the hospital ward for a nasty bullet wound to the shoulder. Sakura was - and _still _is - the head of the west Konoha hospital and Kakashi knew her mentor, Tsunade. He got them past no questions asked.

Sakura had been the one to see to their injuries, and she had screamed out that she wouldn't take their lying bullshit, but she was an interesting mix, cold towards Naruto's flirting, but stuttering towards Sasuke and cynical with Kakashi.

She bandaged up Naruto's wound finally, her fingers small but not gentle as she tied the knot. "I don't want to know and for all purposes you were never here -- alright?"

Naruto groaned and gingerly poked his arm. Sakura knocked his hand away "Don't touch it or the wound won't heal." She pointed to the door "Now all of you get out and I don't want to see you again."

They ended up seeing her twice more that week. The next time was for Sasuke's leg wound, the one after was the catalyst to her recruitment to their cause.

They'd be going in the back way, through the emergency doors and Kakashi flirting with the nurse to let them, at least that's what they had done the previous two times, but this time, they found Sakura outside --

-- restrained by two muggers.

Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi looked at each other. This time Kakashi was the severely wounded one and Sasuke not much better. Naruto stepped forward and he heard Sakura give a tiny whimper. Naruto cleared his throat, getting the attention of the attackers who were to busy shoving their hands up Sakura's shirt.

"Let her - "

"Ergh!" The man that had Sakura around the neck was beginning to double over in pain. Naruto stared. Sakura swung her leg back hard again, aiming high --

"_Oooo_" Naruto winced, for his part the attacker gave a high-pitched squeal and curled up on the ground.

Naruto was about to go after the second guy, but she beat him to it, she launched herself across -- the man had been trying to run away -- latched onto his back, knocking him onto the ground, arm around his neck, effectively choking him. When he started to thrash around, Sakura straddled his back, fisting her hand in his hair to smash his face into the ground.

"You don't -- " smash " -- attack women -- " smash " -- assuming -- " smash " -- they can't -- " smash " -- defend themselves! -- " smashsmash " -- Asshole! -- " smashsmashsmash.

She pulled herself up, stretching her legs out and wiping her hands off, the blood smeared on her white jacket and then she spat on him. Naruto stared. Sakura turned, still tense, fists clenched. "What do _you_ want?"

Kakashi raised a hand from where he was slung over Sasuke's shoulder and gave a feeble wave.

She frowned and pursed her lips. "I'm _never_ going to get rid of you, am I?"

Naruto beamed big and wide. "Can I marry you? Cause that was just fucking hot."

He might have been mistaken but he thought he saw a smile pulled at the edges of her lips.

* * *

She'd been the hardest of all to recruit.

"Wait, so you guys just go around killing or maiming anyone _you _think is bad? How does that even _work_?" she snapped. They were in her apartment now; she'd invited them back because they had wanted to have a 'serious conversation' with her. She had sighed and so they ended up here.

"Well police can't do anything, these bast'rds run rings around the law."

Sakura coughed. "So you think that just gives you the reason to go and fucking _kill them_?!" she yelled.

Sasuke jumped up and put a hand to her mouth. "These walls are paper thin - watch what you say." he hissed. Sakura turned pink and Naruto chuckled, she was cute like that.

"Drug Dealers, Rapists, Murderers - let out on insufficient evidence. Doesn't that annoy you? Just a little bit, just that, not what we do, but how do you feel about that? That there are bad people getting off _free_." Kakashi said evenly. Sasuke removed his hand and all their eyes were trained on her.

She shifted uncomfortably. "Well… its bad. It's not fair. That's not justice…" she then turned her eyes back on them, just as sharp. "I can see where you are going with this, it doesn't matter if I think that, it doesn't matter if it's not fair, and it's not my place to - "

"You're a doctor! You must have seen the injuries caused by drive by shootings, that's organized by gang lords, people like - "

"So you kill one gang lord? What then? For every faceless evil bastard there is ten more to take his place! What do you get then? It doesn't end, this kind of shit _never_ _does_. What do you actually accomplish?!" She stood up -- to do what, Naruto didn't know -- she was angry and had to be stopped before she tossed them out. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket.

"Sakura what are you doing?" Naruto stood, inching closer, as was Sasuke. If she called the police…

"Organising three MRI scans, because you are obviously _insane!_" She snarled. In reply, Sasuke pulled the phone off her and threw it at the wall. She gaped and glared furiously at all three of them.

"Sakura… you know those kids in the terminal ward, would you stop _trying _to save them just because you knew they were going to die?" Kakashi stood directly in front of her, touching his hand to her wrist.

She stopped, her fists clenching at her side. "No I would still - I'd still - " her voice cracked. Her hand rose to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I'd still do it, because it's what I was born to do -- and I hate it when I have to help those bastards who attacked and killed and you know, you just know it… I… still think this is going to make something so much worse but…"

"But?" Naruto prodded, hoping.

"But I'll do it, I'll help you…"

Naruto jumped up and clapped her across the back, pulling her close in half embrace. "You are doing a good thing."

She nodded, wiping away her idle tear. "But if I die, I'm coming back to haunt you bastards."

* * *

_Warehouse belonging to Uchiha._

Much like Kakashi, Sakura came with a few surprises, the first of which was her briefly displayed skill in hand to hand combat (which needed further training because she left _far _too wide openings), the second of which was her father's Type 38 bolt-action _Ariska _rifle.

More surprising than that was her apparent skill with it.

She loaded it quickly with minimum fuss and despite its length held, balanced it against her comfortably. She fired once, hitting her mark on the dummy - right in the middle of the neck.

"Its very old fashioned." Sasuke commented, admiring the weapon from where he lent on the wall, arms crossed and braced on his chest.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah it's a World War One model, but my father had it commissioned in honour of my grandfather, who fought in the war. Its kind of a heirloom, I never did anything with it…never thought I would need to…"

Naruto shrugged. "Its kind of useless in close fighting, you gotta load it, so slow and stuff."

Sakura glared and hugged her rifle close. "I _know _that, but from far away, I could… you know…" she coughed and looked away.

"Blow someone's brains to the wall?" Naruto ended brightly.

"Yeah… that." Sakura mumbled.

Sasuke cuffed Naruto around the back of the head.

"Bastard" Naruto sneered and Sasuke - as always - ignored him, turned to Sakura instead.

"This is good, we never really had a option for long distant attacks. Now we do," There was the barest hint of thanks in his voice that Naruto picked up and Sakura must have caught it also because she smiled widely and her cheeks turned pink.

Sasuke lifted his hand for the weapon and Sakura handed it over like it was her child, she bit her lip and watched.

"How do you guys…" she tore her eyes away from Sasuke checking over the weapon to stare at her gloved fingers that where twisting the hem of her dress.

"How do we what?" Kakashi prompted.

"Howdoyoupicksomeone?"

"Geh? Wanna say that any faster?" Naruto turned away from greedily eyeing the rifle.

Sakura glared and Kakashi sighed. "No there's no real system, we tend to pick at random…"

"Okay well…it's just…"

"You have someone in mind?"

She turned pink again. "Well yes,"

Naruto marvelled at her reaction of blushing whilst suggesting someone to kill but it was still damn cute.

"And?" Sasuke glared at Naruto who had reached for the weapon.

"He's this guy the nurses talk about, he keeps coming in for STD checks, total pervert and I'm pretty sure he runs a underground prostitution ring, well its more like he buys the girls from whereever and…"

Naruto made a disgusted face. "Sounds like fair game."

"I wanna check though - don't want to -- to _kill _someone just because they are a pervert and have poor sex partners…" she fumbled and mumbled the words around, glancing here there and everywhere, but completely avoiding eye contact.

"Yeah otherwise you'd of killed dead last already…" Sasuke muttered.

Naruto sneered; Sakura and Kakashi rolled their eyes.

"Well anyway" Sakura cut across before Naruto could retort. "Can we check him out?"

"Sure why not, if we can't get the dirt to throw him in jail, he might even be your first kill." Naruto smiled but Sakura didn't smile back, in fact she paled and politely asked Sasuke for her rifle. Naruto stared for a second as it clinked. "I - I mean, Sakura-chan…"

"No, leave it Naruto," she muttered, strapping the binds around the gun in the case.

Sasuke backhanded him, frowning and Kakashi was looking away. "Sakura, you don't _have_ to--"

"No Naruto, it _doesn't matter_, I said I would do this, and I'll do it all, if I have to k - " she gulped, " - kill, I will, it's just… well I've watched people die before on tables, but I'd been trying to save them, not deliberately…" she took a long breath.

"Sakura-chan…" he touched her shoulder. She gave a half smile. "Naruto, it's alright."

"But - "

"Naruto drop it." she said firmly, picking up her case. "I've gotta go, my shift at the hospital starts in twenty minutes…" She headed toward the exit of the firing range. "Call me later, guys." She left.

They waited till her steps had finally faded. "Naruto you idiot!" Sasuke glared.

"What?"

"She obviously not adjusted to this yet, don't remind her she's killing people, she's a _doctor_."

"Yeah but - "

"She's got to have a little bit of breathing space," Kakashi commented. "If we press her too hard she'll baulk."

"Baulk? She wouldn't back out on us…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head, confused and a little hurt at the idea.

"If you keep saying shit like that she might," Sasuke snapped.

Naruto raised his hands in defence. "Alright lay off, I get it!"

"We've got to be very careful how we handle her." Kakashi continued as if he hadn't heard a single thing they'd said.

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "She's too jumpy at the moment."

"I get it, I won't make comments like that again…" Naruto mumbled.

"Not just that, don't press her for anything, we all chose to be here and she is choosing too right now… we have to be honest here, but don't make it inhumane." Kakashi finished.

"Inhumane? What?" Naruto stared.

"You and Sasuke have a tendency, both of you to make this into a game, its how you cope, Sakura isn't like that, these are peoples lives to her, she never had a choice on good or bad before, lives just needed saving. It's not like it is for you two, not just dead counting matches."

Sasuke looked away, and Naruto liked to pretend it was just a bit from shame.

"We… but…"

"Naruto," Kakashi said in his I-spent-ten-years-in-the-army voice "You're a young man and maybe this is just a game in your mind - "

"Its not" he hissed. It'd never been, not after he'd narely died and heck he'd even written a will, he got it, he really did.

" - but just remember when your dealing with her that she'll take it all very personally."

Naruto nodded. "We get it, Kakashi." Because it wasn't just addressed to him, he said it to Sasuke as well, who didn't see it as a game, but was cruel and scorned the fear of killing as a weakness, between them if they pushed her too much…

"Good" Kakashi finished, flicking out his book, the scolding over.

* * *

_Warehouse, next day._

Naruto let loose a round into the dummy. Sasuke was sitting next to him.

"I thought about what Sakura said."

Naruto turned his head, narrowed his eyes and nodded, then let loose another round.

"Well, I investigated the guy she mentioned, he is a sleaze."

"Sasuke where are you going with this?"

Sasuke looked away. "I've been thinking a bit,"

"Oh gee, you're an Uchiha, do you ever _not_ think?"

"Tch." he glanced at Naruto, whilst still trying not to. "But not so much for background checks, we should start doing surveillance not just…"

"Running and killing everyone hoping we get the right guy?" Naruto loaded the weapon.

Sasuke nodded.

"So what, how are we going to do that? Trail them, find out their hobbies?"

Sasuke nodded. "Something like that, just so we know for sure, we've been pretty lucky so far."

"Yeah." Naruto nodded, tilted his head to the side. "But sometimes that could be sorta…"

Sasuke frowned at him.

"Maybe if we start taking this serious, then it might get…"

"Our luck _is _going to run out some time soon."

"But we might… jinx it. If we plan it out, we might, ya know," --_du-du-du-du-du-du--_ another round went into the dummy. "Leave a trail or something."

Sasuke stared. "I see what you mean."

Naruto lifted up his safety goggles. "But at the same time she's got a point, one of these days we are going to end up killing someone who doesn't deserve it."

"Ah,"

"Damn it bastard! Do you ever say anything more articulate than that?"

"Ah."

Naruto snarled and twisted his finger around the trigger, it was still pointed away. Sasuke looked back at him with a half smirk. Naruto glared. Sasuke still did nothing. Pulling away from the temptation, Naruto fired another round into the dummy.

"We've got to be careful how we do this, otherwise someone is going to pick us up…" Naruto muttered after the echoes from the bullets had died.

Sasuke nodded and then shrugged. "It's one or the other."

Naruto shrugged, still half glaring at Sasuke.

* * *

"I can't _believe_ I am going to do this." Sakura whispered shaking.

"Sakura, _relax_." Sasuke snapped.

"I'm breaking the oath and -- _oh my god_." She was boarding on hysterical, but not there quiet yet as they sat in the car.

"Sakura! Stop! You saw what this guy does, he forces little girls to touch each other in front of audiences! This is him and the five men he works with." Naruto reminded her.

"Yes but -- but --" Her hands were fisted on her legs.

Naruto leant across to her seat in the back of the van Kakashi was driving, grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a firm shake. "This is for the good of _everyone_."

"I save lives -- I'm a doctor! I don't _kill_ people, I _don't_."

"Sakura." Sasuke said calmly, cutting across the rumble of the engine. "You are a doctor are you not?"

"Y-yes."

"You have spent your life saving peoples lives, you spent your life for the good of everyone else. Am I correct?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Then this is exactly the same, for the good of all people, you are taking lives, to prevent them harming others, so if you want to think about it a certain way, you are still saving lives."

"…Yes."

"So stop acting like this is any worse then it is. If you can't do this, we'll get someone else." His words were harsh, even though Naruto was quiet sure that he was down playing the fact that as a doctor she would be killing, the tone was enough to stop her shaking.

Her mouth thinned and she clenched her fingers again -- in anger this time, from her rigid shoulders and sharp tilt of her chin up. "You don't need anybody else. I always keep my word. I said I would do this -- for the good… of everyone else, to do what I can to… protect them."

The van stopped, Kakashi climbed over the seat to join them in the back.

* * *

Kakashi whispered to them to think smart about what they did as the scrambled across the roof, the room they wanted to get into was one story down. One by one the went down to the balcony, Kakashi last.

Quietly they pulled their guns out of holsters, Naruto picked the door that led onto the balcony.

Then, just as these things did, the world blurred past in a mass of blood and silenced gunshots.

Naruto went in first, he boomed loudly, hating to slink around "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! It's time to meet your maker!" And then there was a and the first man went back with a hole in his head. It was a bit of a blurr after that, these things always where, he ran out of bullets, so he jumped the next guy and smashed his face in with the butt of the gun, blood splattering his face, and Naruto could always get a little crazy when he got in to dirty hand to hand combat.

Once the guy was down for the count completely, he assisted Sasuke in a weedy looking man with too thick glass by holding his arms behind him as Sasuke beat the shit out of him. Naruto let go when he didn't feel the laboured breathing against his chest anymore. The body slumped to ground.

Efficient as always, Kakashi had finished up the other two single handed. When he saw Naruto and Sasuke his nose screwed up. "Must you two always get so… bloody?"

Sasuke smirked and Naruto beamed, teeth far too white against the red of the splatter.

Naruto frowned glancing around frowning. "Where's Sakura?"

"I'm… not sure." Kakashi muttered.

Sasuke was the first to move, he'd always had the best hearing. Into the bathroom, quietly and quickly on the expensive white hotel carpet now dirty and stained.

Sakura was in the bathroom and neither Kakashi, Sasuke or Naruto knew quiet how to deal with the way Sakura shook and fired her gun repeatedly, even though she'd obviously emptied her barrel. The empty _click click click _echoed over her harsh breathing. The man had been shot to pieces, and from what Naruto could tell of what was left of his face -- he'd been the main target.

There was on blow to his heart dead on target, the rest to the face. A broken off towel rack showed that he had at tried to attack Sakura, and by the blooming bruise on her cheek, he'd hit her at least once. Naruto stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, she turned much to fast, panic so damn obvious in everyway she moved. He caught the hand that had been aiming for his face.

"Sakura, chill, _chill_."

She was breathing heavy, if it wasn't so serious he would have been watching her chest.

Kakashi tapped Sasuke's shoulder. "We've got to get out of here, we've lingered too long."

Sasuke nodded, a grabbed Sakura's shoulders away from Naruto and gave her a hard shake, she blink very slowly and her breathing slowed just fractionally. "Sakura, you can have your freak out later, we've got to get out of here _now_."

She seemed to be coming back together in her head. She gulped, Naruto watched the muscles in her throat move as swallowed and nodded, her breathing still too fast and ragged.

Normal clean up commenced, blood was sprayed with ammonia, contaminating so no samples could be taken. They headed back to the roof and then out, watching the police cars race in as they peered over the roof to check they'd left no mark of entry and exit.

Naruto smiled. Flawless, as usual.

He glanced at Sakura, so obviously on auto pilot and on edge, her hands were shaking still, but then Naruto remember how he'd been after his first kill -- Sasuke had to fight him back out of it -- Ah!

But it'd have to wait, till after this, till they were safe again. He wasn't even sure it'd work, but something had to be done… panicked and afraid didn't suit her.

* * *

fin chapter

* * *

**notes:** I hope everyone likes it, the ending's lame but I couldn't possibly shove anymore into the chapter without some issue for the next one. D:

afterahardday


	2. Rubicon

**Title: **The Saints are Coming.  
**Chapter:** 2  
**Characters / Pairing :** Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, Gaara, Itachi. _NaruSakuSasu_  
**Rating:** M  
**Summary:** They had been called Saints, they had been called Sinners. Vigilantes or maybe just Bounty Hunters, all they knew as something had gone seriously wrong on that last mission.  
**Notes:** 1) take forty of this damn chapter. 2) I tried really hard to keep this in the same style as the previous chapter, it failed, as this is Sakura's perspective and it's less prone to crazy then Naruto's, also this is really obviously Sakura, whilst the first chapter is only sort of Naruto's. 3) Gaara, whai u so conveniently wise, blood drenched and rational? 4) Yes this story borrows heavily from Boondock Saints in many aspects... Religion isn't one of them. This makes character motivation tricky. So there is a lot of moral talking in this chapter, you don't have to agree or disagree about any of it. **Edit:** This story is _NARUSAKUSASU_. It is _not_ NaruSaku _or_ SasuSaku _or_ NaruSasu, it's a _threesome_. Three people, at once. FFN only lets me have two characters listed at once. Naruto is the main character and I had to put something as a secondary character so I put Sakura, because idfk, seemed like a good idea at the time. If that bothers you, you will also notice this is listed as Adventure/Drama, so the main point of this story is Naru, Saku, Sasu and Kaka running around shooting bad men in the name of justice. Romance, if and when it happens, is secondary. Hope that clears up any issues. **Secondly**, I have put up a call for a Beta, as my old one has left fandom and I, desperately (as is obvious with this chapter), need help. I can't see all my errors because sadly I r of teh humans, but I know they are there. So please go to my lj, fill out my shoddy application form if you feel like helping me out. :D Lastly, sorry for re-uploading this and confusing you all, FFN ate some lines of text.  
**standard disclaimer applies.**

* * *

(There's one for the money,  
Two for the sin  
Three for the tongue when the authority kicks in  
Four for the reason,  
five for the tricks,  
but nothing's going to save you from the six six six.)

Seven for the secrets that are never to be told.  
There's eight in the river  
and nine in my head  
and ten of the worst kind sleeping in my bed.

**Patterns – Band of Skulls.**

* * *

_Hotel Crime Scene, 10 hours later. _

"Something went wrong here." Special Agent Itachi Uchiha turned the victim's head from side to side, examining the bullet wounds, then down, to the one in the chest, his gloved hands getting sticky with blood.

"Where?" Shisui murmured, writing on his notebook.

"Whoever this fourth shooter is, they're not as well trained as the other three, or maybe just too new to this kind of work."

"... You're talking in riddles, Itachi."

"This killer was... personal. Outside, it's straight forward. Some signs of a fight, but never more then three bullets per person. This blow here," he pointed to the chest "would of been the kill shot. It's from a downward angel, the person shooting was on their knees, or laying down." he pointed to a bullet in the wall, that was higher up then the others. "These?" he gestured to the half a bloody mess of a face. "Was unnecessary. Messy. Personal, compared to the others outside."

"So? That doesn't mean something went wrong?"

"Whoever was shooting in here, got in a fight" he stood up and nudged the towel rack that was laying on the ground. "and was loosing till the gun was brought in. Something went wrong, the others were cleaner then this."

"... Anything else?"

"No, not yet." He continued to pace around the crime scene, turning and prodding other items around the room.

Not very much longer a few sergeants approached. "Agent sir, we found this." He held up a box of DVDs, with names written on them, but apart from that, completely blank.

"What's on them?"

The officer's face twisted up. "Pornography, sir. Child pornography, it was kept under the bed, hundreds of it, along with brochures of... ."

The names on the front took on a sickening new meaning, so did the men in their room. Everyone around the room shuddered.

"... It remains to be scene if this was because of that, or Organised Crime related, as all these men have ties to one or another." He sighed and raised a hand to rub his temple before thinking. "Go through the videos, see if you can find out who any of these children are, forward it to the special victims unit, see if they can find anyone else part of this ring."

Itachi pulled down his gloves with a slow tug, wrapping them up and throwing them into the bin by the door.

"Do you think this has any relation to the other killings the past few months?"

"Of course it does, all it says is that whoever they are, they have a new recruit, and one that is still unsure at that."

"Is that it?"

"No... if this isn't Mafia related... then, I am fairly sure we've got a worst case scenario."

"Which is?"

"We've got vigilantes."

Shusui groaned and pulled out his packet of cigarettes. "Fuckin' _Batman_ wannabes."

"If that is what we are dealing with... then we have something very difficult going on. It can't be found out."

Shisui rolled his eyes. "People will, so many low lifes dropping down dead? People will notice, they already are noticing. You saw the news, already saying it was too convenient. Something this big is simply too much to be ignored. All it's going to take is someone to stick it all together and – "

"Don't assume Shisui, we don't know yet. There has been several probable causes at each scene thus far."

"Even _you're_ admitting it Itachi. There is convenient and then there is this doing a jig. Naked. On your face. All these scenes use the same guns, the same style, same height for the shooters. Two around 5'11 and one 6'1. Oh and they're all bad men. _Dead_ bad men."

"Shi -"

"The public might not be stupid, but the press is not. All it's going to take is someone to say the wrong thing and then..." He put the cigarette to his lips and lit it, ignoring Itachi's pointed glare.

* * *

_Sakura's apartment. _

It had been two weeks, when Naruto knocked on her door. Two long weeks since she'd beaten, and shot that horrible man in that bathroom. The bruise at long last was fading. Everything was a countdown from that point. She sighed to herself, stumbling to the door. It was 5 am and she wasn't in the mood, whatever it was, had better been fucking important.

(When she'd walked into find him, knew exactly who he was and that he wasn't with the other low lives outside, she could hear the shouting and gun shots and wondered why others couldn't. There the man was, relieving himself. The sound of his piss echoing on the porcelain of the toilet. She raised her gun up, getting ready to take a shot when he turned, but her hand was shaking too much to aim properly. Then it'd all gotten very ugly, very fast.

He knocked the gun out of her hand, swinging a punch for her face. She'd ducked and the weight of his motion pushed him forward, but the wet floor made him unsteady and he grabbed the towel rack to stabilise himself, only for it to be pulled from the wall – _guess hotels weren't as well furnished as she thought_ – taking the new weapon he struck her in a sloppy unsteady turn. It was only that she kept moving, didn't stop, kept stumbling for her gun that it didn't crush her cheek bone or her skull.

When she finally closed her fingers over the cold metal, back to the wall crouching as he came toward her, instinct had really taken over, she turned, no longer hesitant or shaking, straight to his chest, then to his face. She kept going till the barrel clicked over to empty, then shot some more. Mind only processing the bloody mess she'd made, that was in her hair, on her face and splattered across her clothing, and the beginning ache on her face. She wasn't sure when Naruto had broken her out of it, just that everything between then and her getting home and washing the blood off had been a blur.)

It wasn't that she was running. No, she wouldn't call that. Though her alter ego delighted in throwing it back at her, _coward that she was_. But she was confused as to her other options and confused from what exactly she was running from. Just that she'd turned tailed and fled from every memory of that night like it was her god appointed duty and hadn't thought much more about it.

It wasn't the police that terrified her, she catalogued as she continued about her life. She'd been watching the news, the public opinion for whoever had been doing this was still out and the police apparently no closer to finding 'these people'. If they had anything, they would've come already.

And, even then, the thought of jail didn't scare as much as loosing it all did. Being locked into a small cell was just _sort of_ upsetting, not going back however was _terrifying_.

But it was amazing how much could change in a few weeks. How paranoid you could get. Sakura was learning it, now, hard and fast. It brought a awareness which was painful in its newness. She wasn't stupid, she'd seen more then enough people die in years she had been a doctor. It wasn't as if death was new and that much of a shock to her system.

_So then_, her inner self chided, _was that it was for once death was the desired outcome, not the worst case scenario? The object, the goal, her new oath. _

It was like the first time she had lost a patient, all over again. The details were different, yet the same. By her hand he was dead, by her decisions, by her... her...

_What are you so scared of?_

Sakura was twenty one again, and totally unsteady. She had the pressing need to drink until everything got blurry and started to make sense in a twisted sort of way, then drink some more. She was Tsunade's student after all.

Then after that, there was the fear that she knew, that came from the act. The subtle difference to to the life she took. The mess was in the details. She was mortal, in a way that she hadn't contemplated. With that single round to man's face, erasing it in a blood splatter, every preconception of safety had been stripped away. The locks on her door no longer seemed adequate. Her father's gun didn't load fast enough. The doorman was just a single man. If someone really wanted in her apartment, she learned, _they would get in._

_The illusion of safety, that's all it really is. _

It took a second to die, the second could be the longest you ever had, and she had to consider it in the way she had never before, the way that left her sizing up every single item in her house as a weapon. The one that had her jump and reach for whatever was closest at the smallest noise.

She'd taken working longer hours, every chance she got, she didn't want to be alone, and she didn't want to talk to them. When she wasn't there, she was at the gym, abusing whichever punching bag she could. She'd put them out of mind, or at least tried to, though Inner Sakura had mocked her.

It was easy to figure out that she was punishing herself, any shrink worth half their salt would have figured it out, she wondered if they did too. But the guilt, and the man's dying face wouldn't go away.

_Why? You did it for a reason that wasn't greed. In fact you gained nothing from his death._

_**I am not God. I had no right. **_

_Who said it anything to do with God?_

She didn't need inner Sakura's sarcasm, as she stumbled to the door, she couldn't figure out who would be calling this early... well the hospital might, however they usually just rang.

But when she opened the door, there was something she was even less ready to deal with.

It was Naruto.

"Good morning Sakura-chan" he said, in that sing song way of his, even though he was just as tired and sleepy as her.

"Naruto, you better have a good reason for being here, its 5 am." she grumbled.

"We're going on a trip, I know you don't have work today."

She glared at him. "How did you know?"

"I rang your work asking for an appointment," he grinned, like it was the most innocent thing to say.

She couldn't find anything to say, so she settled for a glare. "What are you doing here Naruto?"

He kept up his lopsided grin. "I came to take you out Sakura, we're going to visit someone that's really important to me."

She crossed her arms. "Why? I thought we weren't supposed to see each other outside of assignments if we didn't have to. And if your friend, why don't you go see them? I don't say what the flying fuck it's got to do with me at 5 in goddamn morning."

"But this is really important, Sakura."

He was looking at her, with a pout, baby blue eyes and damn, Tsunade was right, she had a weak heart. "Fine," she snapped, stepping away from the door letting him in. "I need to have a shower" she turned to go back to the lounge room, he took a seat. He gave the cushions a thoughtful poke. "Don't... _break_ anything." Because he was going to touch things, she knew it.

"Aww, Sakura-chan, you think that of little of me?"

Her snort as she walked away was answer enough.

In the shower she tried to think what Naruto was doing, brain ticking over whether she liked it or not, maybe there was another mission. There was a queasy feeling in her stomach, she wanted to get whatever this was over with quickly, move on. Tell him...

_That you're a coward?_

Why did her inner self hate her so much lately? Couldn't she get even a shower to herself without her plans being disrupted?

Your_ plans are stupid. _I_ am the brains of this operation after all._

She hurmphed and turned off the water, reaching for her towel. Just as she got herself wrapped up, Naruto burst through the door.

"Sakura-chan hurry up wou –"

She gave a screech and threw the first thing she could at him. He ducked it, laughing and cringing.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, just standing there, "I thought you were just being girly and stuff."

"Get OUT!" something else – a tube of toothpaste – went after him as he ran.

Still huffing she got dressed, as quickly as possible just in case he decided to have a return visit. She stomped out, ruffling her hair with a towel before combing it through with her fingers.

"Alright fine, I'm ready." she hung the towel up on the door handle to her room. He threw her keys and wallet at her. "What about my phone?" she mumbled, thinking that the hospital and its constant state of emergency would allow her for a quick escape from whatever it was that Naruto was planning for her.

"No reception where we are going," was the reply as he started heading toward the door.

"Oh... okay." She followed him out, plastering a smile on her face. He made light conversation with her that she replied to, about work and what he'd been up to.

When he went to unlock the doors of his four door pick-up truck, Sakura reached up and grabbed his ear, pulling it hard. "Ow! Owowowwww! Sakura-chaaaaaan" his knees buckled and went down side ways against the car.

"Don't ever come into my bathroom like that again! I don't care how close you think we are, we're not that close." She gave another pull then let him go. Crossing her arms.

"Awww, Sakura-chaaan. I was just teasing." He rubbed his ear, pouting.

"Get in the car Naruto. I'm not interested in your reasons." She snapped, going to the passenger's side, jerking the door open with a mutter about stupid men.

He was still pouting when he climbed in, she was already buckled up with her arms crossed, eyebrow raised. "So where are we going that supposedly doesn't have phone reception." She asked, back to her mild humor.

"We're going to see an old friend of mine. He's going to help you feel better!" He seemed so pleased that he was doing this for that Sakura felt her ire deflate a little and turned to look out the window instead.

There was a amiable silence that was filled with the radio, some pop song playing its little heart out, they were well onto the free-way before Naruto turned the radio down and turned to her with a accusing hurt look in his eye.

"Why didn't you call any of us back?"

She wasn't expecting the question, and she froze. She knew hundreds of reason... all of which were so cowardly and selfish that she didn't know how to say it and not feel like a different kind of monster to the one she currently felt like.

Sakura knew what he was really asking.

_What are you so afraid of?_

Because that was what it came down to, the cold fear in her fingers that made her shake. The fear and guilt that had permeated everything she seemed to do lately.

She didn't have an answer. Not for the question she thought he was asking.

"Sakura?" Not annoying tone, only a sad accusing stare.

"What?" she snapped.

Naruto sighed, eyes going hard in the way that seemed familiar in a sick way. There, in the early morning light, he took his hands off the wheel and slammed his foot onto the accelerator. The zoomed and slid across the highway. There weren't many people, but they were a immediate danger to the few that were as they went across the lanes. Sakura screeched and grabbed the wheel. _**Goddamn it, Naruto! **_

"Take the wheel you crazy idiot!" she yelled, it was much harder to drive like this then they made it looked in movies.

_It's always harder then the movies, Sakura, what were you expecting it to be like, Batman?_

_**Shut up.**_

He was still looking at her, hands by his side. "You weren't talking to me Sakura, how else am I supposed to get your attention?"

"Just take the wheel."

"Not 'till you promise to never shut us out like that again."

She was shaking with the effort, she was tired, damnit, of holding the steering wheel, of punishing herself, of feeling guilty, of being afraid and being alone with this burden.

Naruto was... he trying to offer her a way out of that. _Would it be so wrong?_

"Why? Why should listen to anything you have to say? You're a murderer, and now I am too and it's your fault."

"Because I can help you."

_What are you afraid of?_

"No, you can't. I want to go back Naruto, but I can't. I've done it now and you did this to me. With that god-damn smile and that cocky attitude,you dragged me down because I couldn't say no. I am trying, and all I get is fear. Every thing's changed, all my misconceptions about life are gone, the ones that keep me sane, and you want me to acknowledge it, acknowledge you. I just wanted the maybe... the maybe I could forget that death really isn't always there..."

Slowly the hands closed over hers on the wheel, not letting her go as much as they released her from driving.

"I'm sorry." was the warm words at the back of her head. "... I wanted to hit Sasuke when I realised that." the hands released hers, letting her get back into her seat properly.

She eyed him suspiciously, but his eyes were on the road ahead, back at a normal pace.

"I was angry, that now, I had to face my own mortality the first time... it's why, I insisted we find someone else, how we meet Kakashi, then you. I still don't know why Kakashi does this either, but he does it and never reveals much about it. But I think he's punishing himself too, just differently. I think he lost someone, I don't know, he talks to Sasuke more then he talks to me..."

He was rambling, she realised blearily, mind foggy from the wearing off adrenaline. But it had to mean something, the way he was pushing this. Revealing just enough -

"... I was so scared, you know? Like I didn't understand. For the first time I actually slept with my guns by my bed. I hated Sasuke that night, having to deal with that. Realising everything that I, in the end was, was destructible. Facing that, in the dark, by yourself, it makes you hate things for being a threat. I guess you sort of knew that, but you had pushed it to a safe place, you know being a doctor and all, you never had to deal with the fact that maybe you'd get sick too. I get it Sakura-chan," he rumbled, looking up at her again, sheepish grin in the corner of his mouth.

- that she didn't feel so alone.

"But we're not threats, Sakura-chan. We wanted you, because you can keep us safe, and we can keep you safe!" he finished, trying to be cheerful.

Some part of her, the deep part, the cold part couldn't help but shout in outrage at his words, that spoke of the loneliness, the separation that forced to turn to him, Sasuke and Kakashi.

"You didn't think, that maybe Naruto, bringing me in was selfish? That because I couldn't say no, you thought it was okay to drag me into something that was crueller then you knew, just because you didn't want to face this alone?"

She might of felt all kinds of monster for taking that smile off his face, but she needed to know if he understood this, considered it before she gave in completely. When he didn't answer, she turned her away, out the window.

"Did you think maybe I took my oath as a doctor seriously?"

He doesn't say anything and she sunk back into her chair comfortably.

"It might have been Sakura... but it's too late now."

She turned to him, eyes cold as he stared straight out on the road that was light in the sickly morning light. "I guess so."

* * *

_Gaara's mansion. _

The house that they arrived at after a very long tree lined drive way was stately. Old, and vaguely like a hacienda. The terracotta stucco walls were some how imposing for all that the house was open. But like some old fashioned English Boarding School, there were kids playing in the front yard. Yelling and shrieking like kids were prone to, tugging at each others hair with a shout of 'tag, you're it!'

Sakura just wanted to stay in the car. He had to bring her near kids? Really?

"Naruto, where are we?"

"Gaara's place."

She stared, eyes sharp.

"Who is this Gaara?" The air between them was still tense, but she forced their words out of her mouth.

He gave her a sort of half grin, "He's a friend, one of my closest... the only one that understands really."

So this person was already going to be _completely_ unsettling. "I really need more information then that."

"I can't really say more, just that he's really rich. Something about doing highly dangerous things for the military from a really young age that he's not allowed to talk about."

Well, gee, _that_ really set her mind at ease. But it did explain a lot of things, like why Naruto could talk to him about... things. Military personal stopped operating within the reasonable bounds after a certain point, she remembered them coming in. They were, oddly, the ones that understood the hardships of being a doctor better then some.

"Just promise me you'll talk to him. He... helps."

What was he, a psychologist? It sounded like whoever he was the one that needed that, not her.

_That's why you've been jumping at every single noise in the night and waking up from dreams you don't remember in a cold sweat. Do you _want_ me to stamp post-traumatic stress on your head?_

She ignored that, instead opting to watch Naruto go towards a blonde woman who was all toned muscle and imposing feeling who was watching the kids out the front. But she seemed friendly to Naruto enough, nodding to him and saying something, waving her arms in direction of the house. Naruto said something and she threw her head back in a laugh. Their discussion over, Naruto turned around, waving gesturing Sakura forward and into the house.

Naruto led her up the stairs, past more kids, there were some in class rooms of the huge house, and students sat behind desks in overly ornamented rooms, she saw as she walked past.

He brought her to the top floor to the room at the very end of a hall. He knocked on the door before walking in, Sakura edged after him, firmly denying her own skittish-ness.

"Gaara?"

"Over here." Was the quiet call from a tall chair that was facing away from them toward a huge window that streamed in the morning light. There was a desk that was a old fashioned oak deal, carved patterns into the wood, stained a dark colour. The walked around the desk, Naruto going straight to the window, spreading his arms wide as if to encompass the whole view that went out over the large grounds with them.

_God-damn, I think I'll join the military, I want a house like this. _

It was certainly impressive. Old fashioned, expensive in that kind of hold-your-pinkies-out-when-you're-drinking-tea-from-fine-china sort of way.

"You're standing in my light."

She'd completely forgotten why they were here, looking out on the view, even if she didn't embrace it as fully as Naruto did. But she turned back from where she was standing to the side to the figure in the chair. Some how she'd expected something bigger, more imposing to the red head that was bent over paper work, hiding his face from view. In that new paranoid way of hers, she analysed him. Small frame, muscled anyway. The deep strong voice didn't match... Lanky, would probably be really fast...

"Gaara, is that anyway to greet me, ne?"

The head lifted, and Sakura swallowed, what was that about imposing? Screw imposing, he was fucking creepy! He looked at Naruto with a steady gaze, then flicked to her. She froze like a deer caught in head lights, before he went back to Naruto.

Apparently, he was just going to ignore Naruto's question. "Is this her?"

Naruto nodded eagerly. "Yaryar, this is Sakura-chan. She's a doctor."

"Dr. Haruno. Dean, aren't you?"

She nodded, not really trusting her voice.

"I need you to look at one of my students." It wasn't a question or a request, heck there wasn't even a please. It was just a command spoken by someone that demanded absolute respect and fear.

She opened her mouth to protest – it was her day off, she was not some little girl to be commanded so – then she looked in his eyes and shut it again. "Yeah, okay."

"We have a nurse on campus, she's skilled, but just a nurse. This particular student has a rather persistent cough." He said as he rose from his chair, smoothly and confidently. He really wasn't all that tall, taller then her at the least, but shorter then Naruto by a good inch. He walked out from behind his desk, to stand next to Naruto, though his eyes weren't on the horizon, they were on the children below, there was a excited squeal coming up from the grounds.

"This isn't a school, Dr. Haruno, it is a orphanage. Though all the children, as you must of seen, are students here as well." She uttered a soft little 'oh...' but he wasn't done. "I prize this as the most important role in my life. Naruto tells me you are very good. So... I... _appreciate_ it very much. "

Naruto was still silent, either because he thought Gaara was trying to say something important, or because he had nothing to say. But he turned just enough, to see the little grin he gave her.

Sakura strode forward from the corner she was hiding in next to a book case. "I'll do my best. Shall we go see the child?"

Gaara turned back to her, that creepy creepy gaze going straight through her. Instead of hiding from it, she took what he was trying to say, that he wasn't intending to scare her, that he acknowledged her strength, and went with that instead. She straightened her spine and gave him a little smile instead. Gaara strode to her and took her out.

Maybe Naruto wasn't quiet as cracked as everyone thought he was sometimes.

* * *

The girls cough, as it turned out seemed to be more then just a cough, she was hacking up big balls of mucus with the act, choking and gasping sometimes with the effort.

"Beginnings of bronchitis." she said, fingers touching the swollen gland on the girls throat. "Early stages though, and thankfully, easily treated." Sakura turned a smile to the girl that sat so still on the bench. She turned and gave the nurse a list on instruction and medicines to pick up.

"Is there anything else, Sakura-san?" the nurse said, bustling behind her. Sakura shook her head, putting the stethoscope down by the little girl who looked her up in a slight amount of wonder.

Behind them, Gaara lent coolly at the door way, watching with a detached interest. When he became sure that all was fine, he turned and left. Unsure, Sakura sent a hesitant look at the girl on the table, then went to follow him as there was really nothing else to say to the nurse.

"You are very skilled, I am glad Naruto wasn't exaggerating." He said over his shoulder, she nodded, feeling a faint trickle of pride coming back into her spine, of confidence.

It was shattered a second later when Gaara turned around suddenly, – he really must have been sure of himself, to not even glance at her position, must have been skilled – to grab her neck. She gave a little squeak, hands flying to his wrist at once, the panic that had been sitting so close to the surface flaring up.

"_That's_ it, isn't it?" he said. "You're afraid." His voice was even, even as his thumb rubbed, soothing if it weren't for it's compromising hold. "I understand your fear of me. Do you know many people I've killed? How easy it is to break a neck?" He didn't seem offended of what she was sure were her wide terrified eyes.

She nodded. If he had eyebrows, she imagined he'd been frowning at her, as it was, the blackness around her eyes was too much, and she felt her muscles of her legs clench to keep from shaking. "Well yes, I suppose you would. You don't know the practise though. I can't imagine that it was something they taught in med-school." His tone didn't changed.

"I don't understand why Naruto thinks this would help." Sakura managed to get out.

He ignored her. "Have you ever felt scared, Sakura?" the thumb pressed into her bone, tight enough that her breath hitched, it loosened then went back to what could have been mistaken as a soothing motion.

"It's not that simple." she snapped, struggling again, trying to avoid him – his gaze was like his wrist, made of iron and trapping her. "It's not just the fear!"

"Then, what is it?"

"It made all of it... everything I worked for a complete_ lie_, there's no safety, no safe place, and I can't undo it, I can't go _back_. I can't just pretend it never happened." _and I just want to go back to keeping that lie _safe_, so I can think _I'm_ safe. How dare they take that off me?_ She struggled against his grip again, though it didn't work.

"Tell me." It took her a second to realise he was talking about his question from before.

"I was twenty, I was at the bank, and they used me as hostage for a robbery. They dumped me beside the car when they left." It probably wasn't the terrible act the whole world was expecting when she wrote her autobiography, it was as impersonal as a .48 held to your head could be. There was no moment where someone died, just a single moment of being a puppet, and the knowledge that she'd never be such again.

_You're the lamest superhero ever_.

"Then you know what it is to be powerless." He murmured. "Did you ever get justice for that moment, for that victimisation?"

"No." she sighed.

"Did you ever wish you could?" the fingers were still soothing, coaxing, but she didn't trust them for a moment.

"... Yes."

He was silent. "Then you have half of it." His breath was slow, calm, quiet. She swore he almost made no sound, not even on the old floor boards which had to creek sometimes. "But not the right half." He let of her throat, turned and kept walking. She followed after, half intrigued, half not wanting to disappoint Naruto's faith that this strange dangerous man had something that Sakura didn't understand, that he could grant her some kind of absolution.

"Do you know what justice is, Sakura?"

She tried to find her voice, but it was still a little sore, so she let him fill in the rest of the worlds, let him lead her to this place. Which as it turned out, was another window at the end of the corridor down from the nurse's rooms, facing out onto the grounds and the children that were bathing in the now mid morning sun. It would be lunch time soon, she noted.

But his words caught her off guard. "Justice, mercy, freedom? They all have something in common. They're lies. Lies we made up. If there is a God, he certainly had no hand in their creation. They were things we needed. To keep the biggest lie of all, hope. Hope that we are safe, that all our suffering will come full circle, that one day we can be free."

This surely couldn't be what Naruto intended, these harsh words that Sakura heard the ring of truth to.

"To not have them though, we'd become like animals, like I was. Endless killing and death with no meaning or sense, told by those who were mightier, in charge, things only changing when the old leader was too weak and was replaced by someone stronger. Hope is small and it is fragile. But it is lie... a lie we must continue. It's the hope that is given in law courts... or rather, was given. It is much harder for Justice to work any longer, the fact that I am still allowed to walk around free attests to that."

_Hope, Sakura. The hope you give a family when you give them back their child's life. The lie of hope. What is more important?_ Sakura looked down out the window where Gaara's gaze had been fixed the whole conversation. There was Naruto, playing with the kids, rolling on the grass, completely care free.

"... It's playing God though, I've no right. I'm just a doctor, a good doctor, and now I..."

"Is it? Don't you already do it? There are many who say Doctors have no right to save people. That they should let people die, as it's been decided that it's there time. Doctors and Soldiers, Sakura, they have one thing in common. They are the pre-chosen by society to give and take life. According to the plan."

"But..." the words were stuck in her throat, all of it was thrown into turmoil. "It's going to create something so much worse..." she could see the copy cats, only they wouldn't have these words, have these conversations about hope, about justice, about lies that needed protecting.

"Probably. You will have to cross that path when you come to it."

"I didn't want to cross this one!" she tried not to yell, instead it came out a furious whisper.

There was no answer. Slowly, blearily, eyes blurring her vision as she looked down at a little girl kick a ball around, she realised, there never would be.

"I asked to speak to you, personally." he said, crossing his arms in front of him.

Sakura turned a sharp look at him, Wwhy?"

"Because you are a doctor. I didn't know you, just what Naruto said. That you treated him all the same, didn't even ask questions. That you could defend yourself."

She swallowed, thinking back on that night, how she's smashed the man's face into the ground, there hadn't been much time for thought, trapped and struggling, then a distraction – then, she'd solved her own problems.

"Before this, you were simply a doctor that could look after herself in the dark places, and occasionally fought those dark places with your own hands."

She nodded. How was he so astute, so able to cut to the quick? She dug her fingers into her palm painfully, obscurely it made her angry. Who was he to say such things?

"Now you think that purpose is gone, that you've some how corrupted yourself by shedding blood."

Sakura dared to look up, to find that for the first time in their little conversation, he was looking intently at her.

"You haven't though. That's what scared you, really, your loss of purpose. But there was no need, you're just the same. The purpose remains the same. You must fight the dark with your own two hands." he gestured down, to Naruto, where a blur of yellow hair played football with the orphan students.

"He will need reminding, sometimes. Sasuke has a depressingly corruptive presence, Kakashi won't speak against it. This, Sakura, is why I asked to speak with you."

_To find a balance._

"You will have to be the feeling that they will lose sight of. You will save lives, both theirs and the ones you will do so by proxy."

_What if... What if... _

She never wanted this to happen, she didn't want this responsibility... but Gaara's words, they played in her mind.

"Most importantly, you will bring hope. Shedding a man's blood doesn't have to be undignified, treat them as you would a doctor give pain killers to a dying patient."

_What if... _

There was no what if. There was no going back, she could wish, scream and beg all she liked. But there was no going back. She cleared her eyes. She... there was a knot in her throat. Different to the one of this past week. It was no longer a stinging regret. _What if..._ She swallowed the knot down. There was. There was the patient in front of you. A choice, a choice for life and death you had to make. There was always the hope that she could bring.

_Maybe... maybe..._

"Try to sleep better now, Dr. Haruno." Gaara said to her as she turned away, mind churning with far too much, to cover everything that he had just said, everything he hadn't said, "Justice isn't revenge. Doctors aren't allowed to treat the ones they love."

The thin line.

Sakura went down the stairs to find Naruto.

* * *

The air was still uneasy in the car. Her sharp words to Naruto made everything awkward.

_You need to fix this, all he was trying to do was help you..._ Inner Sakura grumbled at her, crossing her arms.

She tried to find a way, to explain. "Naruto..." _I'm terrified, scared, was trying to run away. I wanted to be selfish, because that was easier then focusing on the bigger things, like my responsibility to my fellow man._ But the simple explaination worked best. "I'm sorry." She stared down at her hands. "I understand that... that there is no going back, and for hurting you."

"I'm sorry too Sakura, that we didn't give you enough warning."

_You did, I just didn't listen._ "It's fine now."

The rest of the car was spent in a quiet bantering, back and forth till somewhere at the point where she lent over to nudge Naruto's shoulder for saying something completely idiotic, she realised that everything was somewhere back to normal.

* * *

_Sakura's apartment._

She walked up the stairs to her room, Naruto somewhere behind her. "Ne, Sakura-chan don't walk so fast!"

She shot him a challenging look. "Speed up, or get left behind, Uzumaki." When he grinned back she noted with happiness that he just lurched forward and grabbed the back of her shirt. She thought about brushing him off, but instead just turned the corner a little faster then she ought to, and he yelped as he was dragged.

It was some how enough, that she couldn't even bring herself to flinch when Sasuke and Kakashi were waiting there for her, eyes quizzical at the smile on her face.

"Where'd you go?" Sasuke asked gruffly to Naruto as she turned the key in the lock to open the door and let them in.

"Gaara's," was the murmur back. "He said he had to tell some things to Sakura-chan."

She looked back, just once, quickly. "There's no food in here, I haven't gone shopping. How about we go get pizza?"

Naruto beamed. "Alright!" his Cheshire grin kicked up at the side.

So just as soon as she dumped her bag again and taken out her wallet they were out the door once more.

Sasuke and Naruto were talking loudly amongst themselves, Naruto gesturing widely while Sasuke scowled and shoved his hands in his pockets. Kakashi with his nose in a book.

They looked normal. They looked human.

Sakura buried her hands into her opposing coat sleeves to keep out the cold with a sigh and turned her eyes forward, waiting for the traffic light to turn. The sound must of caught Kakashi's attention "How was Gaara's?"

"He took you there too?"

"He takes everyone there I think, the ones that matter. Gaara's the only one that knows everything."

"Is that safe?"

"Gaara's part of a highly specialised military unit that can't be touched no matter what, the kind that knows too much about the bloody things that make the world turn. Assassination, mostly. But from what I gathered, supplied weapons to third world countries for civil wars, started several others to benefit of certain important politicians."

Her eyebrows rose. "Where'd you learn that from?" Kakashi tapped his nose with the spine of his book. Sakura rolled her eyes. "So that makes him trustworthy how?"

"I like you Sakura, you ask the important questions. Better then those two." he gestured to Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura hid her laugh behind a cough as they turned suspicious eyes back their way. "But sadly, what makes him trustworthy is between Naruto and Gaara."

"... If that's good enough for Naruto... I guess that is good enough for me."

"You trust Naruto that much?"

"Not yet, but soon, I think I will._" He knew what I needed, even if he didn't quiet understand. He tried, when I would of given up otherwise. Forced me to listen when I'd all but shut my own ears to anything but my guilt. He cares._

Kakashi gave her a long look and Sakura shifted under its weight, pressing her arms against her side in defense of the chill. "What did Gaara say to you?"

"... He told me to have hope, but not loose my dignity."

"You thought you were going to loose it?"

"Maybe," she didn't look at him, just at the traffic as it zoomed past. "He gave me a new set of rules."

* * *

They sat, easily enough, eating pizza. It was easier now, Sakura found her role and filled it, forcing Naruto to get something with vegetables on it, drink some damn water.

Not that reminding them to be slightly compassionate, as Gaara put it, was easy. So far it seemed to involve smashing their heads together when they got too full of themselves. Quietly Sasuke filled her in on the next mission, the target, where they figured they could hit him. They'd taken her advise, and researched the man before just going in, guns blazing. For a second she let herself smile. It made her pride swell, that at least they tried themselves.

"Awww, teme, you ate all the tomato's off it!" Naruto whined, Sasuke grunted back, Naruto went to hit him and pizza went flying.

_Moment ruined._ Inner Sakura cracked her knuckles.

"For fuck's sake, Naruto!" She hissed and went to stand and grab him. Her motion was stilled when Kakashi grabbed her leg, nodding ahead, to just up the street ahead of them. It happened in an instant and was too fast to see the details of, other then what was obvious, a bag snatcher had stolen a woman's purse not a hundred meters from where they sitting. She looked back at Kakashi for a second, making her choice.

_No, she'd already done that_, her inner self reminded her, s_he was finalising her choice_. There really was no going back now.

The thief came closer, and Sakura stepped out from her chair with a quiet little curse to herself, and braced herself for impact with the incoming man, feet places firmly, elbow poking out. The man let out a shout as he fell, at which point Sakura stumbled back, almost hitting the table. He moved to run, but Naruto was already moving, behind him, boxing the bag snatcher in, the purse was ripped from his hands and Sakura came closer again. Crouching over him she took fistfuls of jumper and collar she pulled him up level with her, close enough to spit.

The man struggled in her grip, almost too much for her to hold. She just tightened her hold, giving him a shake. She had no idea what she looked like, but was aware that Sasuke and Kakashi had risen up beside her, the thief stared at them, "Not them, me. I'm your problem right now," was her quiet little hiss. "You made a mistake, but one day, you'll do something worse. You'll cross a line, and when that happens, there will be no second chances." Her wrists turned up, half choking him in her grip. "Go home, and think about what you should be doing with your life." With one last tug she let him go, watched Naruto move aside, letting the man run away again, this time for completely different.

She took her eyes up from him, when Naruto gave a awkward laugh. "You know Sakura-chan, I don't know if it's hot or creepy when you talk like that."

"Last time you said you wanted to marry me. Don't tell me I scare you_?" _she shot back as she straightened up. The malice and cold calculation that had been there ever so briefly in her mind was pushed back and she turned back to their table.

Naruto slung an arm around her shoulder, and for the second time, she didn't have the heart to shrug him off. "Aww, Sakura-chan, you only scared me when you opened the door in the morning, I thought it was a zombie! Though your hair was all cute messed up like that."

"_What did you say?"_

* * *

end.

* * *

You know the day that I end one of these chapters a way that I like will be a day in-bloody-deed.


End file.
